


silent screams // wildest dreams

by GallifreyanFairytale



Series: keep coming back to you (zukka week 2021) [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Chronic Pain, Established Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Sleep Paralysis, Zukka Week 2021, and I have no regrets, and you know what? good for them, it's definitely far more comfort than hurt, they're so in love, this is also extremely self-indulgent, this is honestly probably the softest thing i've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 16:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30142452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanFairytale/pseuds/GallifreyanFairytale
Summary: “I was afraid I’d lost you,” Sokka whispers.“I know.” Zuko reaches up to cradle Sokka’s face. “I’m here now, though. And I don’t plan on leaving. I said forever, and I meant it.”
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: keep coming back to you (zukka week 2021) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2209851
Comments: 20
Kudos: 102





	silent screams // wildest dreams

**Author's Note:**

> for day six of zukka week: hurt/comfort + chronic pain
> 
> okay i'm going to be honest, i had plans for a completely different oneshot in this universe but it's currently stuck at 2.2k words that are all just snippets of scenes that have yet to be finished. so. i'm offering this instead, but i do hope to finish the other oneshot at some point.
> 
> this takes place during the [epilogue](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29465766/chapters/73031634) of [this ultraviolet morning light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29465766/chapters/72378675), the night after the banquet (in between "Zuko is definitely missing something here." and "The following day, Sokka challenges Azula to a game of Pai Sho.")
> 
> title from this love by taylor swift

**_in silent screams_ **

**_in wildest dreams_ **

**_i never dreamed of this_ **

_this love - taylor swift_

* * *

**_SOKKA_ **

Not for the first time in the past few weeks, Sokka wakes up gasping for breath.

Not for the first time in the past few weeks, he wakes to find Zuko’s side of the bed empty and soft candlelight flickering through the room, letting Sokka know he hasn’t gone too far.

Sokka and sleep have never gotten along very well. Long before he and Katara found Aang, long before anyone expected the war could possibly end, before even the black snow and the soldiers who took away Sokka’s mother, there would be nights when Sokka would toss and turn for hours on end or wake up far too early and be unable to fall back asleep.

It’s been worse since they got back from Omashu, though, and now that Sokka is back in the Fire Nation, everything is suffocating. The first night after Omashu - the night they’d sailed home, when Zuko had dragged him up to watch the sunrise in the morning - Sokka had slept so soundly he’d let himself believe the fight with Vai wouldn’t have any lasting effects on his mental state.

But most nights after that one, more often than not, Sokka’s everlasting feud against sleep has reared its ugly head and either he can’t fall asleep or he wakes up too early, struggling to breathe because he’s afraid he’s being bloodbent again.

Zuko hasn’t been faring much better, even if he won’t outright admit it.

Sokka slides out of bed and pads over to Zuko’s desk. He wraps his arms around him and drops a kiss onto the top of Zuko’s head, effectively drawing Zuko’s attention away from the book he’d been reading by candlelight. “Morning, sunshine,” he mumbles into Zuko’s hair.

“It’s hardly morning,” Zuko points out.

Sokka hums as he circles around Zuko’s chair. “It’s past midnight, isn’t it? That makes it morning.” He sits down on Zuko’s lap, gazing down into his boyfriend’s golden eyes. Sokka’s only got maybe an inch on Zuko normally, but he feels taller like this.

Zuko brings his hands up to cup Sokka’s face and Sokka lets a content sigh slip from his lips. He leans down and kisses Zuko softly, lips moving slowly against Zuko’s, like they have all the time in the world.

The word _forever_ dances around Sokka’s mind.

Maybe they do.

Zuko moves his lips to Sokka’s cheek, tracing a path down to his jawline and dropping kisses as he goes. “Have I ever told you,” he whispers, breath tickling Sokka’s neck, “how much I love your freckles?” Zuko pulls back to look at him, thumb brushing across his cheekbone, where Sokka knows he has a splattering of dark brown freckles that he sort of thought weren’t even visible in the lowlight. “Like constellations,” Zuko mutters. “So pretty.”

“Have you seen yourself?” Sokka raises an eyebrow. “You’re beautiful.”

“Shut up.”

“What? You can compliment me, but I’m not allowed to compliment you?” Sokka frowns. “That doesn’t seem very fair.” He snakes his hands up from where they’d been resting on Zuko’s waist to his shoulders, leaning in to kiss Zuko once more.

Sokka doesn’t know how long it is before the kiss breaks, but it’s not like either of them have anywhere else they need to be. The rest of the palace is still fast asleep, making it feel like he and Zuko are the only two people in the world. 

Zuko lets out a breathy whine when Sokka pulls away, and Sokka laughs lightly. “You’re adorable.”

“Am not,” Zuko grumbles.

“Are too.” Sokka’s hands travel from Zuko’s shoulders to his face and he kisses Zuko’s scarred cheek before bringing his forehead to rest against Zuko’s. “I love you.”

Zuko’s annoyed expression breaks, dissolving into a smile that lights Sokka’s insides on fire. “I love you too.”

“You think you’ll be able to fall back asleep?”

Zuko’s smile drops instantly, and Sokka almost regrets asking solely for the fact that he lost sight of the lovestruck expression gracing Zuko’s face. He sighs. “I don’t know. Don’t let me keep you awake, though.”

“You’re not,” Sokka assures him, because he’s not sure he’s going to be able to fall back asleep either. Logically, he knows they should _try_ , because he’s fairly certain they’ve still got several hours until sunrise. But Sokka’s stomach lurches at the idea of lying down in bed for hours on end, fruitlessly trying to call sleep back to him.

So he opts for something else - anything other than tossing and turning and pretending it isn’t too hot to sleep comfortably anyways. “Do you think the kitchen staff will be mad if we raid their cupboards in the middle of the night?”

“I don’t think they’re legally allowed to be,” Zuko points out. “But probably not. Are you hungry?”

“Mostly I’m just bored.”

Zuko considers that for a moment before he turns his head just enough to press a kiss to Sokka’s palm. “Why don’t I make us some tea? I know it won’t be as good as Uncle’s, but…”

“Full disclosure,” Sokka whispers, “I prefer your tea. But don’t tell Iroh I said that; I don’t want to be executed for treason.”

Zuko laughs, and honestly, that laugh alone would be worth losing Iroh’s favor. But tea really _does_ just taste better when Zuko makes it, and maybe it’s just because Sokka’s biased, but he’d take Zuko’s tea over Iroh’s any day.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Zuko promises.

\--

It isn’t long before he and Zuko are seated in the kitchen, each with a steaming cup of tea in front of them. Zuko is pressed up against Sokka’s side, and though Sokka likes to complain about Fire Nation heat, he doesn’t want to be any farther away from Zuko than this. The few days between Zuko leaving for the Fire Nation and Sokka arriving in the Fire Nation were _horrible_ , and Sokka is going to make up for them by being as clingy as possible.

Even if it means suffering heatstroke because his boyfriend is always unnaturally warm.

(And even if it means relentless taunting from Katara and Azula, who don’t agree on anything except for the fact that Sokka and Zuko are obnoxious, and even more so now that they’re actually dating.)

They sit in comfortable silence for a while, sipping tea and trading kisses. Sokka finishes his cup first, and once he’s done, he wraps his arms around Zuko and rests his head on Zuko’s shoulder. He lets his eyes slip shut and focuses on the feeling of Zuko breathing against him. It’s not as satisfying as actual sleep would be, but Sokka thinks it’s enough to maybe trick his body into thinking it got more sleep than it actually did.

Zuko is the first to speak up, and that isn’t until after he’s finished his tea. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asks.

“Talk about what?”

Zuko threads his fingers through Sokka’s hair. “Whatever woke you up.”

Sokka shrugs. “There’s not much to say. Same thing as usual. Nightmares, my brain being stupid, all that good stuff. ...Do you want to talk about why you were up?”

“Same as you.” He sighs. “It’s been three weeks. I feel like this is a little excessive.”

“Baby, you almost _drowned_.” Sokka lifts his head to look at Zuko. “You were unconscious when I got to you, you almost _died_.” He takes Zuko’s hands in his. “That’s not, like, something you get over overnight. Spirits, Zuko, _I’m_ not over that. No one expects _you_ to be.”

Zuko frowns. “Sokka, you almost died too.”

Sokka waves Zuko’s concerns aside. “We still don’t really know if she was _actually_ going to kill me,” he points out. “Maybe she was planning on, like, kidnapping me or something, I don’t know. Maybe she knew that having to live without you would be a fate worse than death and that killing me too would be an act of mercy. We don’t know.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Say what?”

Zuko looks away from Sokka. His voice is quiet when he speaks “That you’d rather die than live without me.” Before Sokka can argue that it’s _true_ , Zuko is nudging his shoulder and looking back up at him with a playful grin. “You’re tempting fate. I don’t want you dying on me because the spirits decided to take your wish seriously.”

“Okay,” Sokka concedes. “I suppose you might have a point there.”

They fall into silence once more, but Sokka can tell Zuko is lost in thought. It isn’t long before he voices it.

“You called me baby.”

“Did I?” Sokka honestly can’t remember, but he must have if that’s what’s been rolling around in Zuko’s mind for the past few minutes. “I won’t do it again if you didn’t like it.”

Zuko shakes his head. “No, I-- It was nice.” Sokka can tell there’s something else he wants to add, so he lifts an eyebrow, silently telling Zuko to keep talking. Zuko looks down at his hands, which are fiddling with his robe. “I just sort of feel bad? The only thing I call you is _Sokka_.”

“I don’t mind,” Sokka says. “I guess I didn’t even think about it until you mentioned it. And, seriously, I’ll lay off the pet names if you don’t like them. Just say the word and I’ll stop.”

“Please don’t.” It comes out as a whisper, and Zuko flushes at his own words, which is far too endearing for Sokka to handle. “Just…” He looks back up at Sokka. “You just drop all these pet names so _casually_ , but I can’t even say, like, _babe_ without it feeling forced and weird.”

“Zuko.” He tucks a strand of hair behind Zuko’s ear. “Please stop beating yourself up over something that isn’t an issue. And, for what it’s worth, I like the way you say my name.”

Zuko tilts his head. “What?”

“Yeah,” Sokka continues. “You say it like… like it’s the greatest thing you’ve ever heard or something. It sounds so _nice_ when you say it, and maybe I just really like your voice, but still. You say it like it _means_ something and it’s not just my name.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I’m really not.”

“ _Sokka_ …”

“See!” Sokka exclaims. “It sounds like how a sunset looks.”

Zuko shoves him lightly, but he has a smile on his face, which Sokka counts as a win. “What does that even _mean_?”

“It _means_ I love you exactly how you are and you don’t have to change something as silly as whether or not you use pet names with a significant other to make me happy.” He kisses Zuko, and Zuko practically melts under Sokka’s touch. Sokka swallows the _I love you too_ that Zuko presses against his lips as he moves a hand up to Zuko’s hair, his fingers tangling themselves in the dark strands.

Zuko’s fingers run up and down Sokka’s arms, setting Sokka’s alight. It’s hard to tell if he’s imagining the feeling of sparks dancing across his skin, or if they’re really there, harmless thanks to Zuko’s firebending.

Zuko slides onto Sokka’s lap, and Sokka tilts his head to accommodate the new angle, effectively deepening the kiss as he does so.

He’s so entranced by the feeling of _Zuko_ that he doesn’t even notice the door has opened until Azula is yelping and exclaiming, “ _Agni_ , I hate you both _so much_!”

Zuko pulls away from Sokka so fast that Sokka hardly catches it. It’s like some sort of disappearing magic act - he’s there one moment and gone the next, his face bright red as he looks down at the table.

Sokka risks a glance over at Azula to find her covering her face with her hands. “Sorry,” he mumbles. “We didn’t think anyone else was awake.”

Azula scoffs. Carefully, she lowers her hands, and when she’s satisfied that he and Zuko are no longer making out, she marches over to the table. She swipes Zuko’s empty cup and pours her own cup of tea before sitting down across from them. She wraps her hands around the cup until Sokka can see steam rolling off of it.

“Listen,” she says, seemingly talking to Sokka rather than her brother, “I’ve grown enough that I can be happy for Zuzu, but that _doesn’t_ mean I want to walk in on him kissing anyone.”

Sokka grimaces. He can appreciate that, really. He loves Katara with his entire heart, but he doesn’t want to be around when she and Aang are being _oogie_ with each other. “I get it,” he admits. “Sorry. I honestly didn’t think anyone else would be up. It’s, what, two in the morning?”

Azula takes a sip of her tea. “Closer to three, I think.” Finally, she turns to Zuko, who Sokka realizes is looking between him and Azula in confusion.

“You…” He shakes his head. “You know what? Never mind.” Carefully, he wraps his arms around Sokka the same way Sokka likes to do to him when he’s cold and using Zuko as a heater.

“Spirits you two are annoying,” Azula grumbles.

“You don’t have to stay,” Zuko points out.

“Neither do you.”

“We were here first.”

“You don’t even live here.”

“You don’t live here either, Azula. And anyway, I was born first, so I get dibs.”

“You might’ve been born first, but I was born _better_ , so I think _I_ should get dibs.”

“Ooooo-kay.” Sokka peels Zuko off of him. “Well, it was nice chatting with you, Azula, but I think Zuko and I are going to head back to bed.” Zuko grumbles something under his breath that Sokka doesn’t catch. “See you in the morning, take care, try to get back to sleep if you can, all that good stuff.” He stands and pulls Zuko up with him, which proves to be more of a struggle than it should be, because Zuko has suddenly decided to be uncooperative. Sokka sighs and turns his focus solely on Zuko. “Babe, am I going to have to carry you?”

Zuko looks up at him with polar puppy eyes. “Can you?”

“No! Your legs work better than mine do; use them.”

Zuko groans, but he does straighten up so he isn’t leaning entirely on Sokka for support. “You’re so mean to me.”

“ _So_ mean,” Sokka agrees, entwining his fingers with Zuko’s, then bringing their joined hands to his lips so he can press a kiss on the back of Zuko’s hand. “C’mon, baby, you look tired. Let’s get you back to sleep.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

Sokka smiles, because how could he be expected not to? Zuko looks too adorable when he’s grumpy, and he _does_ look tired, too. He reaches forward and ruffles Zuko’s hair, which only makes his boyfriend’s frown deepen.

“Sokka…”

Sokka leans in closer, ghosting his lips against Zuko’s unscarred cheek. “What?”

Azula huffs. “Are you two going to leave, or what?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re leaving.” Sokka pulls Zuko towards the door, throwing a wave to Azula over his shoulder as they go. “Goodnight. Or morning? Whatever.”

Azula hums. “Use protection.”

Sokka closes the door before Zuko can yell at her for that.

\--

Somehow, Sokka does manage to drift back off to sleep after he and Zuko return to Zuko’s room. It isn’t very _good_ sleep, but it’s sleep nonetheless. 

Unfortunately, just as the sun is beginning to rise (or-- Sokka _thinks_ he can see the beginnings of sunlight drifting in from under the curtains covering the windows), Sokka remembers why he never should have let himself fall back asleep.

Then again, to Sokka’s credit, this hasn’t happened since he and Zuko started regularly sleeping in the same bed. It hasn’t happened since before Zuko got back from Ba Sing Se, and it’s never happened when Sokka’s been sleeping in the same room as someone else before. So he wasn’t really expecting it to happen _now_.

Of course, his mind hates him too much to allow for something so nice as sleeping in without issue after he’d already woken up.

Sokka is _almost_ positive Zuko is still in bed with him, even if neither of them are curled up around the other. That might be Sokka’s doing, honestly - he vaguely remembers getting hot and moving away from Zuko to cool down. But he _thinks_ he can feel another weight in the bed with him. Though, he supposes there’s always a possibility it’s Druk despite the fact that Druk has his own little dragon bed Iroh had made for him.

Sokka wants to reach over and see if Zuko really is there, but his limbs are all locked in place and he can’t move.

It’s moments like this that he wishes he’d let Zuko teach him some meditation techniques. Those might help slow down his breathing and heart rate long enough that he could get himself out of this sleep paralysis episode.

Of course, the other issue is his leg. It must be twisted at an odd angle or something because all Sokka can feel is the waves of white hot pain radiating off of it. He can’t really feel or locate his leg itself, but _spirits_ it _hurts_. 

If not for his stupid leg flaring up, he’d probably be able to focus long enough to pull him into full consciousness instead of this half-sleep/half-wake prison his mind has him trapped in. But his thoughts are almost entirely consumed by his leg and how he wishes it would just _stop_. He wishes he could just take his sword and saw it off or something, because that would definitely hurt less than _this_.

Sokka grits his teeth (or, he tries to?) and attempts to focus on his breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

(Where’d his hand go?)

In, out. In, out. In, out, in, out, in out, in out, in out in out inout inout inoutinoutin--

Okay, this isn’t working. 

Breathing too fast, leg hurts, eyes shut, is he crying or is that some sort of hallucination? Why can’t he slow his breathing down, _why won’t his breathing slow down_ \--

What was that noise?

Silence. 

The only thing Sokka can hear is his own breaths, coming quick and short, inoutinoutinout--

There it is again; a voice. Maybe not a real one? It’s hard to tell - Sokka can’t make out any specific words. It sounds like he’s underwater, or whoever’s speaking is speaking gibberish Sokka couldn’t ever be expected to understand. 

Then there’s a warm hand on Sokka’s face and his eyes are shooting open (when had they closed?) and he’s met with gold and red.

His first thought is _Sozin’s Comet Toph falling airships falling falling fire_ , which at some point fades into _Zuko_ as his face comes into focus. Gold eyes, red scar, single eyebrow furrowed in concern as Sokka’s limbs are freed and his breathing slows to an acceptable pace.

Then Zuko’s leg brushes against Sokka’s, and Sokka is squeezing his eyes shut and biting his lip to keep himself from crying out in pain.

“Sorry!” Zuko moves so he’s no longer hovering over Sokka, and then Sokka hears, “No. Druk, stay down. You’re not helping!” A few moments of silence, and then Zuko’s hand is back, brushing hair out of Sokka’s eyes. “I think it’s raining,” he says, which explains why Sokka’s leg is hurting so bad. It doesn’t explain the sleep paralysis, but that’s never had any rhyme or reason as far as Sokka’s aware. “What do you need me to do? Heat? Tea? Ice?”

Sokka shakes his head. He can feel tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, but he has no intention of letting them fall. “Dunno,” he manages.

He expects that to annoy Zuko, but Zuko’s demeanor doesn’t change. “That’s okay.” He kisses Sokka’s forehead. “Why don’t I try heat, and if that isn’t right, we’ll try something else. Is that alright?”

Sokka must nod, because Zuko is pushing the thin sheet that had been covering both of them to the foot of the bed so he can get to Sokka’s leg. Only then does Sokka open his eyes to watch as Zuko heats his hands and lowers them to Sokka’s leg.

Sokka grimaces as soon as Zuko’s hands make contact with Sokka’s skin, and Zuko looks at him, waiting for him to say something.

“Keep going. Please.”

Zuko does.

With Zuko occupied, Druk sees his opportunity to crawl up onto the bed. He slides under Sokka’s arm, resting his head on Sokka’s chest.

“Druk--”

“He’s fine,” Sokka assures him. He takes to petting Druk, long strokes down his back, and it actually helps to distract from the pain.

They carry on like that in silence for a while, and the pain in Sokka’s leg slowly eases to a dull ache, but Zuko doesn’t stop.

“Was it a nightmare?” he asks finally, and it sounds like he’s been wanting to ask it for a while.

“What?”

“When I woke you up,” Zuko elaborates. “Were you having a nightmare? Or was it something else?”

“Oh.” Sokka goes to move so he’s sitting upright, but pain shoots up his leg again and he stops, wincing.

Zuko sighs. He retracts his hands from Sokka’s leg and helps him sit up, back against the headboard, before moving back to Sokka’s leg and continuing to massage it. He lifts an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Sort of?” Sokka scratches the back of his neck. “It’s just… a thing that happens sometimes, where I wake up and I can’t move.”

“You mean sleep paralysis?”

“Yeah,” Sokka confirms. “That.” He shrugs, like that will ease the worry on Zuko’s face. “It usually doesn’t happen when I know someone else is in the room with me,” he explains. “So I kind of figured it wouldn’t ever be an issue when you’re here.”

“You know you can talk to me about it anyways,” Zuko says.

“Well it’s not like you can _do_ anything about it.”

“I can listen.” Zuko looks over at Sokka. “You’re right; I can’t get inside your brain and stop you from ever experiencing sleep paralysis again. But if you _want_ to talk, I can listen.” He stops messaging Sokka’s leg just long enough to lean over and kiss Sokka’s forehead. “You don’t have to hide your problems from everyone, Sokka.”

“You’re one to talk,” he mumbles.

Zuko scoffs.

“I’m serious!” Sokka persists. “Which one of us ran away from the South Pole so we wouldn’t have to confront our feelings? Because I _know_ it wasn’t me.”

“You’re obnoxious.”

“I’m _right_.”

Zuko sighs. “Okay. Fine. You win. Neither one of us likes opening up to other people.” He sits back and runs a hand through his hair. “But, for what it’s worth, I’m fine opening up to _you_. I always have been. The only reason I didn’t talk to you before leaving was because it was _about_ you.”

“I know.” Sokka nudges Druk off of him and reaches his arm out towards Zuko. His leg is still sort of hurting, but he’d rather have Zuko in his arms right now.

Zuko obliges, moving closer until Sokka can pull him onto his lap. Almost instantly, Zuko melts, resting his head against Sokka’s chest, good ear up so he can still hear what Sokka is saying.

“You know I’m not mad anymore, right?” Sokka asks, running his fingers through Zuko’s hair. “I don’t blame you for running. Of course it _hurt_ , but I…” he sighs, “I get it.”

“I know. I’m still sorry,” Zuko mumbles. “I love you. So much. So much that it _hurts_ sometimes, and I don’t--” He lifts his head to look at Sokka, hands coming up to cup Sokka’s face. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“Sunshine,” Sokka tucks a strand of hair behind Zuko’s ear, “you’ve got it backwards. _I’m_ the one who doesn’t deserve _you_.”

“I think this might be the one time you’re wrong about something.”

Sokka could argue his point for hours, starting with the fact that he’s just some nobody from the Southern Water Tribe while Zuko is still currently the crown prince of the Fire Nation. But the way Zuko is looking at him makes his words get stuck in his throat. He opens his mouth to fight back, but nothing comes out.

Zuko smirks victoriously, apparently counting Sokka’s silence as a win. He kisses Sokka’s nose. “Why don’t I go make you some tea for your leg?”

“Can I go with you?”

Zuko raises an eyebrow. “ _Can_ you go with me? I don’t want you putting too much strain on your leg. Druk will be here to keep you company while I’m gone.” He starts to roll off Sokka, but Sokka digs his fingers into Zuko’s waist to stop him.

“ _Zuko_ ,” he whines. “I just got here yesterday, you can’t _leave me_.”

Zuko sighs deeply, clenching his jaw. He just _looks_ at Sokka for several moments before grumbling, “ _Fine_. Whatever. But I’m not helping you walk.”

\--

Sokka uses Zuko as a crutch the entire way to the kitchen.

He probably wouldn’t _need_ to, but it makes walking easier and Sokka likes the feeling of Zuko’s arm wrapped tightly against his waist. He likes Zuko being so close to him that they seem to melt into each other until separation feels like an impossibility.

The kitchen is already bustling when they arrive, and Sokka instantly feels bad. He turns to tell Zuko they should just come back later so as to not bother the staff, but before he gets the words out, Kouji waves them in and gestures for them to sit down.

Zuko helps Sokka sit, but he doesn’t sit himself, though he does keep one hand on Sokka’s arm as he turns to face Kouji. “Do you have any of my uncle’s pain-relieving tea blend?” He asks. “The one with turmeric and… ginger, I think?” He glances at Sokka. “It tasted ginger-y to me the one time you made me try it.”

Sokka shrugs. He tries not to actually _taste_ the tea when he drinks it, because it doesn’t taste very good. He doesn’t drink it for pleasure; he drinks it to ease his pain.

Fortunately, Kouji seems to know exactly what Zuko is talking about, because he nods. “I believe we do.”

Zuko hesitates. “Is it alright if I make it? I don’t want to be in the way, but he won’t finish it if someone else makes it.” He shoots a glare over at Sokka, but Sokka just rolls his eyes like that isn’t exactly the case.

Kouji chuckles. “Of course. It should be in the cupboard with the medicinal herbs, over by where Zan is.” He gestures to someone who looks to be about Sokka’s age. They look up and wave upon hearing their name.

“Thank you!” With that, Zuko sets off, and Kouji returns to his work as well. 

Sokka drums his fingers on the table, watching Zuko. He’s distracted enough by ogling looking at his boyfriend that he doesn’t notice someone sit down next to him until they’re laughing lightly and saying, “Wow, you’re really gone for him, aren’t you?”

Sokka starts and turns to see a girl whose name he thinks is Kei seated next to him, giggling. She has a smear of flour across her cheek and a towel thrown over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Sokka answers easily, his gaze drifting back to Zuko. 

“I think it’s cute.”

“He is,” slips out of Sokka’s mouth without him meaning for it to. He feels his face flush. “I mean--”

Kei pats his shoulder. “I know what you mean. I’m happy for you two. A little jealous, but mostly happy.”

“I’m sure you’ll get a great love story too,” Sokka assures her.

She glances over at Zan as she says, “Yeah, I hope so.” Sokka files away _that_ piece of information for later.

Soon enough, Zuko is back at Sokka’s side, setting a steaming cup of tea down in front of him. And despite the number of people in the kitchen with them right now, Zuko doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Sokka and rest his head on Sokka’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” Sokka whispers as he picks up the cup, blowing on the liquid to cool it off.

Zuko hums. “Of course. Thank you for letting me take care of you.” He lifts his head just long enough to press a single light kiss to Sokka’s jaw. “Love you,” he mumbles into Sokka’s shoulder.

“I love you too, sunshine.”

\--

Once the tea has been finished, they stop back by Zuko’s bedroom to get Druk, and then they head to the library, mostly just for a change of scenery. Apparently Iroh doesn’t have anything he needs Zuko for today (though Sokka thinks that might be because he _knew_ Zuko and Sokka would want to spend the entire day together), so they sit and talk and listen to the rain patter against the windows.

They’re seated on the floor so Sokka can stretch his leg and Zuko can massage it again, and Druk is alternating between resting his head on Sokka’s lap so Sokka can pet him and perching on the windowsill like he’s waiting for the sun to come back out.

“Feeling better?” Zuko asks.

“Yeah,” Sokka says. His leg still hurts, of course - he’s expecting it’ll probably be hurting a least a little all day - but it really is feeling _better_. “Have I ever mentioned that you’re my favorite?”

Zuko smirks. “Maybe once or twice.”

“Well you _are_. Who knew a firebender boyfriend would be so good for chronic pain?”

“I’m pretty sure you did,” Zuko points out. “I did this for you before we started dating.”

Sokka waves his hand. “Technicalities.” He sighs happily. “Seriously, though. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Well _hopefully_ you won’t ever have to find out.”

“Yeah,” Sokka agrees. But the _hopefully_ hangs heavy in his mind, because Zuko has a point. Some promises can’t be kept, and while the war is over, it’s not like there aren’t people out there who still very much want Zuko dead. 

Instead of dwelling on that, though, Sokka offers up a half-joke - the only thing he can come up with, “As long as you don’t go drowning on me or anything.”

Thankfully, Zuko laughs at it. “I won’t drown if you don’t let a bloodbender choke you to death.”

“Deal.”

Zuko moves his hands from Sokka’s leg and shifts so he can kiss Sokka. His mouth is warm and the kiss feels a lot like coming home.

“I was afraid I’d lost you,” Sokka whispers as it breaks.

“I know.” Zuko reaches up to cradle Sokka’s face. He doesn’t ask if Sokka is referring to what happened with Vai or the fact that he left for six months, which is probably for the best, because Sokka doesn’t really have an answer. “I’m here now, though. And I don’t plan on leaving. I said _forever_ , and I meant it.”

There are so many things Sokka wants to say. _Thank you_ and _I know_ and _I want to spend the rest of my life with you_ , but the only thing that comes out of his mouth is, “I love you.” As if that could ever be enough to encapsulate everything he feels for Zuko.

He thinks, maybe, Zuko gets what he’s trying to say, because he smiles softly and leans in to kiss Sokka again.

The kiss ends abruptly when Druk takes off from his spot on the windowsill, darting through the bookshelves and startling both of them. Before Zuko can call for him to come back, Azula rounds the corner, with Druk now seated on her shoulder.

She raises an eyebrow. “First the kitchen, and now the library?” she questions. “Are you trying to defile every room in the palace before you leave, or what?”

Zuko groans and buries his head in Sokka’s chest.

Azula looks unimpressed.

Sokka runs his hand through Zuko’s hair, trying to figure out something to say that will maybe ease Azula’s distaste when his eyes land on a Pai Sho board and the little cloth sack holding the tiles sitting next to it.

Sokka’s face lights up.

“Hey Azula?”

“What.”

“What would you say to a game of Pai Sho?”

Azula’s sneer turns to confusion, briefly, before she smirks. “You’re on, Water Tribe.” She snatches the board and tiles and begins to set it up, and Sokka pretends not to notice that she’s taking special care to situate it in a way that allows Sokka to keep his leg outstretched.

“One rule,” she says as she dumps the tiles out of their bag, “Zuko’s not allowed to kiss you until after we finish the game.”

Zuko looks up at that. “Azula--”

“Deal,” Sokka says quickly, cutting Zuko off. Zuko narrows his eyes at him until Sokka pecks him on the lips. “But you didn’t say anything about _me_ kissing _him_.”

Azula rolls her eyes and pretends to gag. “Spirits, I hate you two.”

But the smile on her face lets Sokka know that really, she doesn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> this is going to be my last piece for zukka week bc i have other things i need to work on but i had so much fun participating! and be sure to check out [all of the other wonderful fics, art, etc.](https://zukkaweek.tumblr.com/) from this week!!
> 
> you can also find me on [tumblr](https://zukkaclawthorne.tumblr.com/)


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